ANDERSEN CONCRETE PUMPING PREPARES SITE FOR HIGHEST RESIDENTIAL TOWER IN U.S.: 2006

The hype surrounding construction of the second tallest building in the United States began in early 2004 at the conclusion of the first season of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” when winner Bill Rancic was awarded a position within the Trump Organization. In his new role as go-to guy for one of our nation’s largest icons, Rancic was given the opportunity to oversee construction on the Trump International Hotel in Chicago, IL.

Several tabloid rumors and architectural prototypes later, crews began to mobilize for site preparation in April 2005. Facing a cramped job site and a short timeframe, Adjustable Forms Incorporated, with offices in Lombard, IL and Indianapolis, IN, commissioned Andersen Concrete Pumping & Equipment Rental, South Holland, IL, to place the required concrete for Phase 1 site preparation. The contract called for placement of an estimated 10,000 yards of concrete for the hotel tower’s basement, loading dock and parking facilities. Specs also included work on the adjacent Wabash Avenue roadway, part of an $8 million street and viaduct reconstruction project. The work is being executed in conjunction with site prep for Trump International. Andersen crews set up the first of six pumps utilized for Phase 1 on June 6, 2005, and wrapped up in late September.

Despite a tiny 60,000-square foot job site footprint, the tower itself will hold two million square feet of what is rumored to become one of the most luxurious hotel/condominium complexes in the world. This $750 million complex will hold 1282 luxuriously furnished and decorated condominium/hotel units, including 880 studio and 352 one-bedroom suites on the 16th through 59th floors, and 50 deluxe, one-, two-, and three-bedroom “penthouse suites” on the upper five floors. Those interested are rumored to be forking over anywhere from $600,000 to $6 million to call Trump International “home sweet home.” For that price, they deserve to claim residence in the tallest residential facility in the U.S.

Trump International certainly isn’t skimping on customer amenities, but according to Joan Andersen, President of Andersen Concrete Pumping, the tight downtown job site hasn’t exactly afforded the contractors much breathing room. “We’re working with only 60,000-square feet of space for compact excavating equipment, pump set up and ready mix traffic. On top of it, we were trying to schedule and complete projects within a relatively short timeframe of four months,” says Andersen. “But we had the knowledge and certainly the equipment roster to meet the customer’s demands.”

Four months into the three-year project, ready mix supplier Ozinga Chicago RMC, Inc., Chicago had supplied mixes ranging from 5,000 to 10,000psi high durability concrete to the Trump International and Wabash Avenue job sites. Delivering directly from their batch plant in Chinatown, Ozinga trucks made the 10 to 15-minute commute to feed Andersen concrete pumps ranging from 32 meters to their S 61 SX concrete pump, the longest boom in Chicago.

“We had just about every one of our long booms out there,” says Andersen. “Dispatch was consistently busy making sure we were sending the appropriate boom for each particular job.”

Ozinga’s dispatch department was also busy sending anywhere from two to forty loads to the sites daily. “Our operators deserve an award,” said Ozinga President Tom Van Etten. “Downtown traffic and tight job site access were certainly challenges on this particular job. But the use of concrete pumps in general always makes delivery much easier. There’s never the need for on-site doctoring of the mix, and we have increased truck turnaround with the ability to pull two trucks up to the hoppers at one time. And Andersen’s great to work with. They’re always ready with reliable equipment.”

According to Andersen, besides consistent concrete supply, reach, performance and compact set up were key concrete pump assets on this high-profile job site. “The maneuverability of the pumps is very handy on this job and Super X outriggers offer huge advantages on tight set-ups,” she says. Schwing patented Super X outriggers are curved allowing operators to telescope out and around obstacles.

The longest of the long booms came in handy on a 1,160-yard pour into the upper structural slab of the Wabash Avenue roadway on September 16. Utilizing their S 61 SX and coordinating delivery with Ozinga, Andersen completed their largest one-day pour since project start. The Schwing unit is equipped with tri-axle steering in front and rear axle steer for maximum maneuverability through crowded and tight downtown streets. Super X curved outriggers supply stability, ease of set-up and a outrigger spread twenty-five percent smaller than competitive models.

In addition to demolition, total deck replacement, street resurfacing and new sidewalk installation, the Wabash Avenue roadway and viaduct projects also involve new ornamental streetlights, irrigated landscaped medians and a new traffic signal.

Completion on Trump International and associated road reconstruction is set for sometime in 2008.